Before you switch
Check what leaving Clover Kitchen Display System costs you: term, renewal and early termination fee.
Fresh KDS
By Fresh Technology
A kitchen display app for iPad and Android tablets that connects to more than 30 POS and ordering platforms, including Square, Clover, Lightspeed K-Series, SpotOn and TouchBistro. It is billed per screen, month to month, and you bring the tablet.
RTC SCORE
8.9
#1 overall
Pros
- Works with more than 30 POS and ordering platforms, so you can add it without changing your POS.
- Published per-screen prices, $20 a month on Essentials, month to month, with a 7-day trial of Premium.
- Runs on an iPad or Android tablet you may already own, and supports USB bump bars.
Cons
- Toast and Shift4 POS aren't on its integrations list.
- Whether it keeps working without internet depends on how it connects to your POS.
- Order-ready texts and ticket printing need Premium, at $27 per screen a month.
- Initial term
- Month to month
SpotOn KDS
By SpotOn
SpotOn's own kitchen display for restaurants on SpotOn POS, billed per station with published hardware and installation prices. For label printing or texts to guests, SpotOn points you to its Fresh KDS integration.
RTC SCORE
7.4
#2 overall
Pros
- Every price is published: $20 per station a month, $500 per device and $100 for installation.
- Offline mode: in-house orders keep reaching the screens when the internet is down.
- Routing by station, an all-day view and 24/7 support.
Cons
- It needs SpotOn POS at each location.
- No texts to guests or label printing: for those SpotOn points you to Fresh KDS.
- SpotOn doesn't document a kitchen time report for this KDS.
- Initial term
- Month to month
Lightspeed Kitchen Display System
By Lightspeed
Lightspeed's kitchen display for Lightspeed Restaurant (K-Series), billed per screen on top of the POS plan. It runs in a web browser on an iPad, Android tablet or other screen, with one POS device acting as the hub.
RTC SCORE
7.1
#3 overall
Pros
- Published price: $30 per screen a month on every Lightspeed Restaurant plan.
- Runs in a browser on an iPad, Android tablet or other screen you choose.
- Routing by station and an offline mode served from a POS device on your local network, with 24/7 support.
Cons
- It only works with Lightspeed Restaurant (K-Series), and one POS device must stay on as the hub.
- It falls under the Lightspeed Service Agreement: renewal notice of 90 days and the fees left in the term if you leave early.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Square KDS
By Square
Square's kitchen display app for Android screens, for restaurants on Square Plus or Square Premium. It is billed per screen on top of the Square plan, and Square sells kitchen touchscreens from $699.
RTC SCORE
6.0
#5 overall
Pros
- Published prices: $30 per screen a month with Square Plus, month to month with a 30-day trial.
- Square sells kitchen touchscreens from $699, and other Android devices also work.
- Routes orders to prep and expo screens, with prep time reports and order-ready texts to guests.
Cons
- It only works with Square Plus or Premium, never with Square Free.
- Square says it is still working on keeping the KDS running without internet.
- 24/7 phone support comes only with Square Premium.
- Initial term
- Month to month
TouchBistro KDS
By TouchBistro
TouchBistro's kitchen display, powered by Fresh, for restaurants on TouchBistro POS in the US and Canada. It runs on MicroTouch screens bought through TouchBistro with professional installation, and it is priced by quote.
RTC SCORE
5.8
#6 overall
Pros
- Offline mode: TouchBistro says the KDS keeps working when the internet is temporarily down.
- Station routing, a reporting dashboard with bump times and an optional bump bar.
- Installation by a TouchBistro technician and 24/7 support.
Cons
- The KDS, the screens and the installation are all by quote.
- It only works with TouchBistro POS and the MicroTouch screens it sells.
- If you leave early you owe what is left of the term, including processing fees.
- Initial term
- Quote only
Shift4 POS Kitchen Display
By Shift4
The kitchen display of Shift4 POS: a 16-inch or 22-inch screen with an optional bump bar, sold with the POS. Each screen carries the monthly software support fee set in your POS agreement, which Shift4 doesn't publish.
RTC SCORE
4.8
#7 overall
Pros
- Shift4 documents that the KDS keeps working over your local network when the internet is down.
- Routing by prep station, a bump bar and a live box score with average ticket times.
Cons
- The monthly fee per screen and the screen price aren't published.
- It only works with Shift4 POS, under a 36-month processing agreement with a 90-day notice to avoid renewal.
- Leaving early carries liquidated damages per device for each month left.
- Initial term
- 36 months
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Kitchen Display by 4LeafLabs
By 4 Leaf Labs
A kitchen display app from Clover's App Market that runs on any Android tablet, screen or TV box. One monthly subscription per Clover account covers as many screens as you want.
RTC Score: Not enough data
Pros
- One subscription of $49.95 a month covers any number of screens at a location.
- Runs on any Android tablet, screen or TV box, with no setup fee and a 30-day trial.
- Per-screen setup for each station and kitchen reports included.
Cons
- Only for Clover restaurant or register plans.
- The listing doesn't say whether it keeps working without internet.
- Support isn't 24/7: weekdays and weekend mornings, Pacific time.
- Initial term
- Unconfirmed
Toast KDS
By Toast
Toast's kitchen display, a module of Toast POS that turns a Toast device into a prep or expo screen. Toast prices the module, the screen licenses and the hardware by quote.
RTC Score: Not enough data
Pros
- Toast documents that in-store orders keep reaching the KDS over your local network during an internet or Toast outage.
- Routing by prep station, all-day item counts, kitchen productivity reports and order-ready texts to guests.
Cons
- The module, the screen licenses and the hardware are all by quote.
- It only works with Toast POS and Toast hardware.
- It falls under the Toast Merchant Agreement, which renews for a year at a time and charges the software fees left in the term if you leave early.
- Initial term
- Quote only